Toothpick.



F. L. BAXTER.

TooTHPlcll APPLICATION FILED .1UNE15| 1912.

1,217,264.. j Patented Feb. 27,1917.

i FRANK L. BAXTER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

TOOTHPICK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 27, 1917.

Application led June 15, 1912. Serial No. 703,774.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANK L. BAXTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of SuHolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented an Improvement in Toothpicks, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to tooth-picks or devices for cleaning the teeth,and has for its object the construction of a device for this purposeinvolvingthe employment of a taut thread or filament of silkor othermaterial, and means to` provide for the detachable connection of bothends ofA a piece of thread, and a hand-piece by which the device may beconveniently manipulated.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a tooth-pick embodying this invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view of the same.

Figs. 3, 4, and 5 are side views of modifications to be referred to.

The hand-piece here shown comprises a shank 10 having a linger-engagingprojection 12 extended laterally from it near its outer end, yet so faras my invention is conce1-ned the hand-piece may be otherwiseconstructed. Said hand-piece has at its inner end two arms 13, 14, whichare extended in an oblique direction from the shank and arranged with aspace between them. A taut thread 2O is designed to be extended acrosssaid space. Each arm 13 and 14, has at its extremity a projection 1,5over which the thread passes, which may be of any suitable shape toreceive and hold the thread, and the ends of the piece of thread aredetachably secured by a friction-device arranged on the shank betweenthe arms 13 and 14. Said projections and friction device provide threepoints for engagement of the thread and they are all arranged on thesame side of the arms and shank, so that between said points the .threadis not obstructed, and,A

therefore, extends in a straight line. represented in Figs. 1 and 2,said frictiondevice consists of a bolt 25 and nut 26, said nut having aconvex face adjoining the shank, and said nut when once set up tlghtlyneed never be loosened, and the ends of the thread are drawn into theconverging space between the nut and the shank. As represented in Fig.5, the ends of the thread are drawn into a converging space 30 formed inthe edge of the shank by slitting it and bending one portion slightlywith respect to the other. In connecting the thread to the device oneend of they piece of threadns secured to the friction-device, and theother end is passed around or over the projections l5 and drawn taut andsecured to the friction-device. New pieces of thread may be substitutedas may be required.

In the particular detail illustrated, it will be noted that the shank ofthe tooth-pick is of substantially uinform dimension throughout itslength, .and that adjacent one end, one of the arms, as 14, is projectedfrom the shank at an angle to the latter, which angle is other than aright angle. The shank, as particularly noted in Fig. 2, is thenextended beyond the arm and reduced in thickness, being projected inpractical parallelism with the first mentioned arm, as at 13, and therespective ends of the arms are formed to receive andvsupport a thread.The threadgripping means shown at 25 and 26 is arranged approximately atthe juncture of the first-mentioned arm and shank, and wholly withinthe'outline plane of the surface of the shank.

Referring to Fig. 3, one end of the piece of thread is formed with aloop which is placed on a hook 35 on one of the arms as l 13, and theother end of the thread is carried over a projection on the other armand is secured by the friction-device.

Referring to Fig. 4 one end of the thread is formed with a knot andenters a notch cut in one of the arms, as 13, and the other end iscarried over a projection on the other arm and is engaged by thefriction-device.

The device is of convenient size and shape to be manipulated by the handand the taut thread to enter the interdental spaces and remove foreignmatter therefrom.

I claimz- As a new article of manufacture, a toothpick comprising ashank of approximately uniform dimension throughout its length, an armprojecting from the edge of the shank adjacent one end and disposed atanangle other than a right angle with respect to the shank, the shankbeing extended beyond said arm and reduced in thickness, the ex` tensionbeing projected laterally to form a second arm in parallelism with thefirst mentioned arm, the respective ends of the arms being formed toreceive and support a thread, and thread gripping means carneme to thisspeoiication, in `the presence of ried by .the1 shank at the juncturelof the two subscribing Witnesses. y shank and rst mentione arm saithread gripping means being arranged Wholly FRANK BAXTER' 'Within theoutline plane `of the surface of .Witnesses-z SDK the shank, whereby 'toavoid. projection. B. J. Noms,

n iestiinony whereof, ii Ahave signed my zii. B., DAVle. y

